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UCLA Law School
Admissions Given the high demand for a UCLA law degree, it is no surprise that the admissions office sets the bar quite high for applicants. The Princeton Review gives the school an “Admissions Selectivity Rating” of 96 out of a possible 100. Only 18% of applicants were granted admission last year (1,140 out of 6,499). For those who were admitted, GPA’s ranged from 3.54, for the 25th percentile, to 3.85, for the 75th. The same range for the LSAT was 163-169, while the medians for such measures were 3.66 and 166, respectively. One would be mistaken to think that meeting the above medians would be sufficient for admission to UCLA Law. To the contrary, the admissions office at UCLA, like that of other schools of similar caliber, receives more than enough applications from students with adequate numbers; and so, they look to soft factors when making their decisions. Applicants should invest a serious amount of time and effort in their essays, emphasizing their unique life/work experiences, extracurricular achievements, and any factor that would bring an element of diversity to the UCLA student-body. Tuition, Financial Aid, & Employment Cost of attendance at UCLA Law is significantly lower for California residents than for non-residents. In-staters paid $26,855 in tuition last year, while those from out-of-state paid $37,648. While the difference of more than $10,000 may prove discouragingly high, non-residents should take comfort in knowing that they can generally achieve residency and the lower in-state tuition within one year.
Over 60% of UCLA admits receive a financial aid grant from the school. While the large majority of these students (47%) receive grants totaling less than half the cost of tuition, 12% receive grants above such a cost, and 3% receive grants higher than the cost of full-tuition. Overall, the median grant was $8,760 last year, as reported by USNews. Most students, however, do end up borrowing money to finance their legal education. While at some schools poor employment prospects make this an unjustifiable risk, this is not the case at UCLA, where graduates of UCLA Law enjoy stellar career prospects. According to USNews 94.9% of UCLA graduates have already secured employment by the time they graduate. That number rises to 97.8% nine months after graduation. And the salaries for these graduates are quite high, especially in the private sector, where almost 60% of UCLA grads end up. The median starting salary in this field is a more-than-comfortable $135,000. UCLA also employs 8% of graduates in public-interest fields of law, thus sporting one of the higher rates of public-interest graduates in the country. While these UCLA-trained attorneys make significantly less than their private-practice counterparts, their median starting salary, hovering around $57,000, is one of the highest in the country. Academics UCLA stands out in several fields of law. According to the USNews specialty rankings, UCLA has a top-5 program in tax law, a top-15 program in international law, top-20 programs in intellectual property law, environmental law, and trial advocacy, and top-25 clinical training program. Few schools make an appearance on so many of the specialty ranking lists, and it is a testament to UCLA’s well-roundedness. Unsurprisingly, given the school’s location in Los Angeles, UCLA Law is also regarded as having one of the nation’s finest programs in entertainment law. Sports law is also quite strong at UCLA. Overall, the school offers up to 16 classes focusing on such fields. UCLA Law School also offers several joint degree programs with many other graduate programs, including the highly regarded Anderson School of Business. Students interested in joint degrees, however, should be aware that scheduling conflicts are common, since UCLA Law School is on the semester system and the rest of the campus is on quarters. Prospective students should also take note of UCLA’s excellent externship program, which allow students to spend a semester working with a federal judge, non-profit organization, government office or other public interest group. Quality of Life The environment at UCLA Law makes law school life a little less stressful. As one graduate wrote, “UCLA Law School is a nurturing haven where the professors have coffee with you and the person to your left is sporting a genuine smile.” A 20/60/20 curve also lessens the stress, where in most classes roughly 20% of the students receive A’s, 60% B’s and 20% C’s. It is the school’s location however, that it is its most convincing selling point when it comes to quality of life. UCLA Law is located in the Los Angeles enclave of Westwood, a collegiate town known for its numerous movie theatres, restaurants, and nightclubs. The school’s campus is cradled in rolling green hills about five miles from the Pacific Ocean, bordered on the north by the protected wilderness of the Santa Monica Mountains. UCLA Law School offers a full array of performing arts including concerts, theater, ballet, opera and the symphony as well as lectures, forums and seminars--both throughout the city and at UCLA Law School. Students can also take advantage of first-class athletic facilities on campus, which include extensive tennis and racquetball courts, a full-service gymnasium and recreation program, four swimming pools, and playing fields and running tracks. Conclusion The combination of academic excellence, great location and low tuition make UCLA Law School an option any student who is accepted should consider. For, the benefits of a UCLA law degree are likely to pay dividends throughout the entirety of one’s legal career. Contact and Admissions Information 71 Dodd Hall Quick Reference U.S. News Ranking: 16 |
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Founded only 54 years ago, UCLA Law School has rapidly risen to become one of the nation’s finest law schools and an attractive choice for many law school applicants. UCLA Law School offers the best of both worlds, providing a world class education in beautiful Southern California. 
Students should also be prepared to pay for room & board, books, and miscellaneous fees. With all of these costs included, the total cost of attendance at UCLA is roughly $47,000 for California residents and $58,000 for non residents. Given that this amounts to a three-year total of more than $140,000 (at least), the prospect of investing such an amount can be daunting. Two factors, however, should help students face such a prospect: financial aid and employment prospects.